Prevalence and reasons for non-adherence to hyperlipidemia treatment

Aim

To assess the prevalence of medication non-adherence, and to assess the effect of selected patient-, doctor-, and therapyrelated factors on patient adherence to hyperlipidemia treatment.

Methods

Open-label questionnaire study in the primary care patients diagnosed with hyperlipidemia.

Results

A total of 255 outpatients aged 60.2 +/? 10.3 (mean +/? SD) were enrolled. Only 61.6% of patients claimed to be fully adherent during the last week. The major source of motivation to take medication was expectation to lower cholesterol level, and only extremely infrequently (2.7%) — to prolong life. Patients often pointed at economic constrains as a reason for low adherence. Getting information from doctor about the purpose of therapy (OR=3.04, 95%CI 1.36–6.80, P<0.01), understanding the purpose of therapy (OR=5.09, 95%CI 1.30–19,90, P<0.05), reading the patient information leaflet (OR=3.37, 95%CI 1.78–6.36, P<0.001), positive opinion about the effectiveness of the treatment (OR=2.45, 95%CI 1.24–4.81, P<0.01), and visiting primary care once a month (OR=2.22, 95%CI 1.05–4.69, P<0.05) were associated with adherence to the treatment.

Conclusions

Non-adherence to lipid-lowering medication is a frequent problem. This study suggests that effective doctor-patient communication may play an important role in rising patients’ motivation to systematic treatment. Better adherence might be also obtained with prescribing more affordable drugs.